Charges filed against Marcus Hook woman who ran dog rescue out of law office

By VINCE SULLIVAN

Sunday, March 17, 2013

MARCUS HOOK -- Humane investigators filed dozens of charges Friday against Marcus Hook attorney Terry Silva, who ran a German Shepherd rescue out of her 10th Street law offices.

Officials with the Pennsylvania SPCA filed 43 charges of animal cruelty against Silva in addition to 28 charges of the same offense against Samantha Kenney, employed as a caretaker by Silva, according to a spokesperson for the PSPCA in Philadelphia.

On Feb. 22, police and humane investigators removed 28 dogs from Silva's Sixth Angel Rescue in Marcus Hook. One of the dogs was euthanized because of its age and poor health. Nine other dogs were diagnosed with heartworms.

"That's something that needs intensive and ongoing medical care," said Wendy Marano, a public relations specialist with the PSPCA. "Some of the other dogs were also extremely underweight. All of them were filthy."

Marano said that one of the healthy animals has already been adopted and others are being relocated to legitimate rescues in the region to receive continuing care.

"They're getting on their way to a better life," Marano said of the dogs.

The charges for Silva are all animal cruelty charges, with one charge for each dog for keeping them in unsanitary conditions and an additional 15 for not providing veterinary care. Marano said the charges took so long to file because of the breadth of the investigation.

"Our investigation included forensic exams on the dogs by veterinarians to determine things like the lack of vet care," she said. "We also conducted lots of interviews and based on the information from them we were able to charge Ms. Kenney."

Silva has been in legal trouble with her dog rescue in the past. According to Marano, Silva was cited for the illegal transfer and sale of animals for transferring dogs from other parts of the country in 2010. Marano also said that Silva's license to operate the rescue organization had lapsed at the time the 28 dogs were seized.

Marano said that the charges could yield penalties ranging from fines and restitution for each count, to being prohibited from owning animals for life.